Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Official Student Newspaper of Henry M. Gunn High School

The Oracle

Banned book review: Looking for Alaska

Banned+book+review%3A+Looking+for+Alaska

Written by Ariel Pan

Banned for being sexually explicit, age-inappropriate and containing offensive language, John Green’s Printz Award-winning “Looking for Alaska” was the most challenged book of 2015.

A mere 221 pages long, “Looking for Alaska” is split into two parts: a before and an after. Away from home for the first time, Miles Halter, nicknamed Pudge, joins his new friends in illicit drinking, cigarette-smoking and pranking, and falls in love with the mysterious Alaska Young.

Francois Rabelais’ last words, “I go to seek a Great Perhaps,” play a huge role, as Pudge, a relatable character, is an average kid, searching for a Great Perhaps.

“Looking for Alaska” is great for older readers. The heavy topics can be harder to understand for younger readers; I first read “Looking for Alaska” in eighth grade and I almost didn’t finish it because I thought it was boring. This book will resonate more with those who have lost a loved one because it discusses different ways to respond to grief: holding life at a standstill or searching for answers. It also motivates us to find our Great Perhaps; we may not get a second chance at life.

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